Chapter 52: Blood-Red Eyes

Lin Yanran felt as though her entire body was overwhelmingly heavy.

Yet, over the past few days, she had maintained a sliver of consciousness, continuously hearing her mother weeping by her side. Desperate to wake up, she finally managed to force her eyes open today.

Madam Wu was the first to notice her eyelashes flicker.

Her heart leaped instantly to her throat as she lunged forward. "Yanran?"

Lin Yanran opened her eyes, though everything before her remained a blur.

"Husband, Yanran has woken up!" Madam Wu burst into tears, immediately grasping her daughter’s hand. "Yanran, Yanran, it is Mother. Can you hear me?"

"Mother..." Lin Yanran called out, her voice as weak as a newborn kitten's.

Even so, both Madam Wu and Lin Rong were moved to tears.

Lin Rong, a grown man, vigorously wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.

"Yan'er, I am Father..."

"Father..." Lin Yanran echoed softly.

At that moment, the blur before her eyes finally began to dissipate, and she could at last see her surroundings clearly.

"Doctor Fu, since she has woken up, does that mean she is fully recovered?" Lin Rong hurriedly asked Doctor Fu.

Doctor Fu gazed intently into Lin Yanran's eyes.

Just then, Madam Wu looked as well, and she nearly let out a shriek of terror.

For Lin Yanran’s pupils were still stained a brilliant, bloody crimson!

"Mother, why are there red gauze curtains hung up here..." Lin Yanran murmured weakly. Because her vision was clear, she saw what looked like a dense, scarlet fog shrouding her sight.

She genuinely believed someone had draped red gauze curtains all around the room.

Madam Wu's expression shifted drastically.

Lin Rong also strode forward, and he too caught sight of the blood-red hue in Lin Yanran's eyes.

"Doctor Fu, what—what is the meaning of this?"

Doctor Fu stepped forward to conduct a brief examination and asked Lin Yanran, "Does Miss Lin feel any discomfort in your eyes?"

Not knowing who he was, Lin Yanran did not reply immediately.

"Yanran, this is Doctor Fu, the divine physician of the capital. Please talk to him properly and tell him everything you feel, alright?"

Madam Wu suppressed the panic rising in her chest and coaxed her gently.

Instead of answering immediately, Doctor Fu instructed someone to bring a cup of warm water and feed it to Lin Yanran first.

After sipping a small cup of water, Lin Yanran turned her gaze toward Doctor Fu.

She offered a meek, somewhat timid smile. "Doctor Fu."

***

She was a sensible and obedient child.

Doctor Fu sighed softly. "Miss Lin, how do your eyes feel?"

"Dry, and a little painful." But then she added, "Can these red curtains be pulled back? Mother, looking at them makes me feel quite unwell."

Lin Yanran’s voice remained hoarse and weak.

Merely speaking these few sentences left her slightly out of breath.

Madam Wu's tears welled up and spilled over once more. There were no red curtains anywhere; it was Yanran's own eyes...

"Miss Lin, do you remember where you went or what you might have touched half a month ago?" Doctor Fu inquired.

"Doctor Fu, we were together the entire journey. We didn't go anywhere unusual, nor did we touch anything strange," Madam Wu interjected.

Lin Yanran tried to raise her hand to wipe away her mother's tears. "Mother, please don't cry..."

Yet as she struggled to lift her arm, she caught sight of her own drastically altered hand. Even through the veil of red mist, she could clearly see that her hand had become withered like firewood and pitch black.

Lin Yanran's eyes widened in sudden, absolute terror. "My hands! Father, Mother, my hands! Ah!"

She let out a piercing scream.

As her eyes widened further, both Madam Wu and Lin Rong saw her pupils grow even redder, presenting a truly horrifying sight.

Madam Wu tightly grasped her hands, weeping bitterly.

"Yanran, Mother's precious daughter, it's alright, you will get better, you will..."

Lin Yanran trembled violently.

Clearly, nothing more could be learned from her at this moment.

Wiping his tears, Lin Rong motioned for Doctor Fu to step outside to speak.

"Doctor Fu, can my daughter's eyes and hands be cured?"

If they could not be healed, then even though she had regained consciousness, she would never be able to step outside or face the world again.

In her current state, anyone who saw her would surely mistake her for a monster. Yanran herself would suffer a complete breakdown.

And how could she ever hope to secure a marriage in the future?

Her entire life would be utterly ruined.

Doctor Fu sighed. "Over the past few days, I have been studying her condition continuously, but as of now, I truly have no solution."

His medical skills were only sufficient to prevent Lin Yanran's condition from worsening, but he was powerless to restore her already ravaged hands.

As for her blood-red pupils, he would need to study them further, applying acupuncture around her eyes and using medicinal hot compresses—he was willing to try any method, yet he held no guarantee of success.

For even he could not determine what had caused the strange affliction in Lin Yanran's eyes.

"Then, what can we do? I beg Doctor Fu to think of something; I cannot bear to watch Yanran's life be ruined like this." Lin Rong's eye rims were burning red.

***

If Yanran could not be cured, his wife would surely collapse as well.

Doctor Fu hesitated, words lingering on the tip of his tongue.

Noticing his hesitation, a spark of hope instantly ignited within Lin Rong.

"Doctor Fu, do you have a way? I beg you to tell me! Whatever the price, I am willing to pay it."

"It is like this: the Second Miss Lu whom Madam Lin met previously... she may perhaps have a way."

"The Second Miss Lu?"

"Correct, it is her. Your esteemed daughter's strange affliction is beyond my medical capabilities, but the Second Miss Lu possesses certain esoteric arts. You might invite her to take a look."

"Esoteric arts?"

Lin Rong's heart skipped a beat. Yanran's condition indeed bore little resemblance to a mere, ordinary illness.

"Madam Lin has also met Second Miss Lu, and I believe she has some understanding of her. You may consult with Madam Lin about this."

In truth, Lin Rong had already heard his wife speak of Second Miss Lu, and he too found that young lady's earlier judgments quite miraculous. Besides, the very fact that Doctor Fu was able to come and treat Yanran was largely thanks to Second Miss Lu.

To command such deep trust and regard from Doctor Fu, Second Miss Lu must undoubtedly possess extraordinary capabilities.

"I must trouble Doctor Fu for an introduction. There is no need to discuss it further with my wife—I shall go invite Second Miss Lu right away."

Doctor Fu shook his head. "There is no need for you to go personally. Last time, I already mentioned your daughter's situation to the Second Miss. The other people in the Lu household are no good; your personal visit might complicate matters. Just send a maidservant to invite her. Oh, and it would be best to dispatch a carriage to fetch her."

Lin Rong suddenly recalled that their initial intersection had indeed occurred because Second Miss Lu needed to borrow a carriage.

Just what kind of place was the Lu household? The Second Miss was injured herself, yet going out meant she couldn't even command a carriage from her own family?

"I will send someone to fetch her immediately."

Doctor Fu pondered for a moment. "I shall go along."

Along the way, he could discuss Lin Yanran's condition with Second Miss Lu in more detail.

Seeing how highly Doctor Fu regarded Second Miss Lu, Lin Rong felt a renewed surge of hope.

Upon hearing that he had already sent someone to invite Lu Zhaoling, Madam Wu’s tears finally ceased. Inexplicably, she too placed her hopes in Lu Zhaoling.

Traumatized, Lin Yanran had lost her voice once more. She lay silently on the bed, weeping soundlessly while gripping Madam Wu's hand with desperate tightness, consumed by a nameless terror.

She had no idea what had happened to her.

Before long, Doctor Fu returned, accompanied by a slender, delicate young maiden.